[Greens-Media] Bakhtiyaris face deportation for embarrassing government

[Edwards, Jon (Sen K. Nettle)]

20.12.04

Bakhtiyaris face deportation for 
embarrassing government 


Greens Senator Kerry Nettle today condemned the actions of the
Government in taking the Bakhtiyari family back into detention and
threatening them with forced deportation to Pakistan.

"This case would be high farce if it weren't so tragic," Senator Nettle
said. "The Greens are calling for a compassionate approach to this
family's plight that can allow then to continue to live in the community
which has embraced them in Adelaide.

"The government poured huge resources into proving their misguided
hypothesis that the Bakhtiyaris are from Pakistan when all the credible
evidence indicates that they are Afghani.

"Mr Bakhtayri is a Hazara from central Afghanistan, whose family is
registered at the local mosque, whose brother is on the electoral roll
in Kabul, and whose youngest daughter was born in Australia - but the
government went to deport him to Pakistan.

"The government's stubborn desire to deport this family is at odds with
the total support from the local community for them to stay in
Australia.

"With all this family has been through the Minister should surely be
issuing a humanitarian visa rather than locking up children and
threatening to put then in handcuffs and deport them. 

"The fact is that this family's high profile ordeal has embarrassed a
government who is keen to see the back of them as part of their war on
asylum seekers."

Contact Jon Edwards - 0428 213 146